Fairy Tales Don't Come True
by Talia Nevana
Summary: After 14 months, Freddie is tired of waiting to find out if Carly still loves him. He must either confront Carly and risk their friendship, or say goodbye and move on. No longer a oneshot-updates in progress. Reviews/thoughts are appreciated!


**Fairy Tales Don't Come True**

**A Oneshot for now  
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><p><strong>Rating<strong>: T. Because I feel like it.

**A/N**: I know I'm taking forever to update my other stories. My only excuses- I'm very busy, and I have a shared computer, so it's hard to steal a moment on the computer to myself. I need my own laptop :/...Anyway this is something I wrote because I was surfing the web and chatting on the Creddie Fans Forum, and it came to mind. I have a bad habit of getting sudden inspiration and neglecting my other Works-in-Progress.

Currently a one-shot, but I will probably add more later on. My other stories really do need to be a priority right now. Enjoy! :)

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><p><em>Prologue-Freddie POV<em>

I don't believe in fairy tales.

You could say my story is the stuff of fairy tales. It kind of starts out like one. I can see it now: "Once upon a time there was a young man who lived with his overprotective mother. One day, when the boy was eleven years old, a beautiful girl moved in next door, and the boy fell in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her. The boy and girl became best friends, and though every time the boy professed his love for her, and the girl gently rejected him, the young man still never gave up hope that one day she would love him back.

Then one day, the boy saved the girl's life, almost giving his own life instead, and the girl realized she loved him after all. They shared their first kiss, and she finally became his girlfriend."

Or I should say, his fair maiden.

In fairy tales, this is where the story would end. The boy saves the girl's life, and she finally realizes she's always loved him too. The boy finally gets his wish, and they live happily ever after, probably even get married, at the tender age of sixteen. Usually in a castle. And one of them is usually royalty or something.

But this isn't a fairy tale-it's real life. My life. As you probably guessed, I, Freddie Benson, am the young man in the story. And the girl is Carly Shay, my best friend and ex-girlfriend. The girl I've loved since day one.

And since, unfortunately, since life isn't a fairy tale, it ended a little differently.

We were together for a few days, and I have to say that it was the best few days of my life so far-like a dream that had come true. But I worried that the dream was too good to **be **true, and after Sam said a few things to me, I got worried that Carly's feelings might not be true, that maybe she only thought she loved me, because I had saved her life. So I decided I had to break up with her, and that night, I told her my decision. I can't forget the look on her face that night, and I felt like a complete jerk for making her look that way at me. Like I had dropped her heart carelessly to the floor, and shattered it. But she agreed. And we made a promise, that later, after my injuries healed and everything was back to normal, if she still felt that way about me, then we could try being a couple again.

And that's where it ended. She kissed me on the cheek, and I left her there.

Everyone wishes they could change the past. We all have something we lose sleep over at night, wishing we had said or done something differently, or at least had the foresight to stop and think before we did it. We all wonder what was in our heads at the exact moment we screwed up. If life was a fairy tale, or just a fantasy story, a sorceror or guardian angel might show up with a time machine or to grant you a wish, and you would have a happy ending after all. But of course, that's not how it works.

Like I said, I don't believe in fairy tales.

It's been exactly one year and 2 months since that night. Little has changed between us-we went right back to being close friends, producing iCarly along with Sam Puckett, like that week never happened. We never spoke of that night again-at least I didn't; I don't know what she said to Sam. We were lucky to be able to go back to our normal friendship with little change-at least, it was easy for her, I guess. After waiting so long for her to love me back, I can't easily forget that it actually happened for a few days. And things may be the same as they were-except I never ask her to be my girlfriend anymore-but it hasn't gotten any easier for me. It might actually have gotten harder than ever.

On the outside, everything is normal, and going fine. But I can never convince myself that I've finally gotten over it and nothing will ever come of the promise we made that night-I can't make myself fall out of love with her. Damn, I've tried. I did date a couple of girls since then…neither of them made it past the first date, but at least I tried. But now, even 5 years after we first met, I'm still as head-over-heels smitten with her-perhaps even more so. The difference now, though, is that she doesn't know my feelings still exist, or that they're even more intense then before. I don't wear my feelings on my sleeve anymore. I already learned my lesson about that.

I used to think that's how you get hurt. But I was wrong.

Hiding your feelings hurts even more.

No matter how much I try to forget that night, I can't deny that I'm still waiting for that promise, that only I seem to remember, to be resolved. And to find out where we go from here.

Now it's been 14 months since that evening, and we're stuck in the same place we always have been. I'm probably the only one who notices, though. Carly never mentioned that night again, and after a period of waiting and hoping she would say something. Do anything, to prove to me that she still felt that way, I'm starting to think it's never going to happen after all. Maybe she really did forget. Or maybe she doesn't want to remember, and wants to pretend it never happened-but I can't figure out why she would do that. Except that maybe she's embarrassed to admit we ever dated. And I do look for hints that her feelings toward me have changed, but if there any hints, I can't see them. She still treats me look her good old friend Freddie. Just like old times.

Well, not _exactly_ like old times. She does flirt with me more than she used to. She's commented on my new "manliness", sometimes sits a little closer than necessary…and sometimes I'm so sure I see something different in her eye when she smiles at me, pats my arm-but it always disappears in the blink of an eye, and I'm sure that once again it was just wishful thinking. Carly _is_ a natural flirt, and I've given up hope that those little gestures could mean anything to her, other than just playing around with me. I'm beginning to think maybe it was right after all to break up with her. Because if Carly did still have those feelings for me, I would know by now, right?

I know it's time I simply gave up on ever having a second chance with her, and moved on. I should have done that a long time ago. But if it was hard before, it's close to impossible now. I already knew how deeply I cared about her, but when I saved her life, and almost gave my own instead, I realized I really would do anything for her. I'd gladly jump in front of the taco truck for her again, if she asked. I'm in **love** with Carly Shay. But what's the difference? Nothing's changed, except that I care about her even more now. But her feelings for me aren't going to change.

Maybe I'm finally beginning to accept that it doesn't matter. It makes no difference how much I love her, because she doesn't love me back, and nothing can change that. All she wants me to be is her best guy friend and tech producer, Freddie Benson. That's all she ever wanted me to be. So I'm stuck in the same place I was the day we met. And I don't see any way out.

So where do we go from here? You tell me.

Prince Charming never had it this hard.


End file.
